Frequently asked questions

This is a list of frequently asked questions about Pixelmon. The questions are distributed into different sections based on the topics that they are related to.

To avoid redundancy with other articles, questions that can be easily answered by searching a related search term on the wiki will not be listed here. For example, "How do I make Poké Balls?" can be answered by searching for "Poké Balls" on the wiki.

If you are still stuck after reading through this FAQ and searching around, feel free to ask in the official Pixelmon Discord.

Questions

Installation

These questions relate to the initial installation of Pixelmon.

Minecraft crashes on start-up after I install Pixelmon! How do I fix this?

There are several different issues that may cause Minecraft to crash upon start-up. First, refer to this guide for a list of common issues with your system that may be causing the crash. If the guide does not resolve this issue, ask for help in the Pixelmon Discord. Provide as much information as possible.

Minecraft never finishes loading or is very laggy after installing Pixelmon! Can I fix this?

See Fixing memory issues for information on how to fix the issue by allocating more memory to Minecraft.

How do I install Pixelmon for Minecraft Windows 10, Console, or Pocket editions?

Pixelmon cannot be installed for any of these editions, and can only be used with the computer edition of Minecraft. This is a limitation of all Forge-based mods.

I'm getting an error message saying my Java version is out-of-date, but I have Java 8 installed. What does this mean?

If you have multiple versions of Java installed on your system, make sure that Minecraft is using your Java 8 installation (this can be modified by the "Executable" setting in your profile settings). Alternatively, uninstall all of your older Java versions to force Minecraft to use Java 8.

I installed Pixelmon, but I don't see any Pixelmon-related features in-game. What is wrong?

There are two main causes of this issue.

First, check the "Mods" section on Minecraft's main menu. If Pixelmon is not in the mods list, then a problem occurred during installation. If you are sure that you placed the downloaded Pixelmon JAR file in the correct location (in the mods folder), check the file size of the Pixelmon JAR. If it is significantly less than 300MB, then your download was corrupted. Try redownloading Pixelmon.

Can I use the Technic launcher to play Pixelmon?

Yes. Historically, the Pixelmon team has frowned upon modpacks being posted there. However, recent changes in collaboration mean that the team is willing to compromise to allow players of all launchers to play Pixelmon. Currently, only Pixelmon 6.0.0 and up for Minecraft 1.12.2 are supported there, under the modpack name Pixelmon Reforged.
You can read more on using this platform on the Technic launcher installation page. The Technic launcher supports Windows, macOS and Linux systems.

When I select a starter Pokémon, the Generation 6 starter Pokémon are listed as "Coming Soon". Why is this?

If you previously installed Pixelmon before version 4.3.0, you will need to delete or edit your Pixelmon config file to access the Generation 6 starter Pokémon. Details on where to locate this file can be found here.

How do I get my server onto the Pixelmon launcher's server list?

This server list is reserved for servers and server owners that help with the development and testing of Pixelmon. You cannot request to add a server onto this server list.

Updates

These questions are about updates to the Pixelmon mod.

Can you add this Pokémon into the mod?

Eventually, the goal is to have all Pokémon implemented in Pixelmon. However, this cannot happen in an instant; Pokémon need models, textures, and animations in order to be implemented. In particular, the Pixelmon team has very few animators, so the addition of Pokémon is limited by the pace at which the animators can animate Pokémon models.

Do not ask for a Pokémon to be implemented if you are not going to contribute to the implementation of it. The suggestion will not influence the Pixelmon team's decisions in any way and will be ignored.

Can you update this Pokémon's model? It looks really blocky compared to other models!

Several Pokémon models were made before the Pixelmon developers adopted their current standards of modeling and animation. These outdated models will eventually be updated, but like adding new Pokémon, an updated Pokémon requires a model, textures, and animations. Also similar to adding new Pokémon, the speed at which animators can animate the models is the bottleneck when it comes to updating Pokémon.

Do not ask for a Pokémon to be updated if you are not going to contribute to the implementation of it. The suggestion will not influence the Pixelmon team's decisions in any way and will be ignored.

Can you add this feature from generation 7?

The current focus is on improving generations 1-6, and fleshing out new features. Generation 7 will be added once the team feels that everything's ready for it.

Can I suggest a feature or change for Pixelmon?

There is currently no official place to post suggestions, but we'll be keeping an eye on the Pixelmon Discord. Stay tuned for more news!

There's a bug in the mod! Where do I ask the Pixelmon team to fix it?

First, be sure that the issue is actually a bug with Pixelmon. If your "bug" is simply being unable to play the mod at all, such as the game crashing upon starting up, it is not a bug. First refer to this guide for a list of common issues with your system that may be causing the crash.

Next, make sure you are using the most recent version of Pixelmon. If you are not using the most recent version, the bug you encountered may have already been fixed in the most recent version. If you are using a Minecraft version of Pixelmon for 1.10.2 or earlier, note that you are using a legacy version of Pixelmon that will no longer receive updates; any bugs present in a legacy version of Pixelmon will never be fixed for that version of Minecraft.

It is imperative that you provide as much detail about the bug as possible, especially steps on how to reproduce the bug on a fresh Pixelmon world. If the bug resulted in a crash report or a console error, make sure to post the error as well. If we cannot reproduce the bug or figure out what is causing it, the bug cannot be fixed.

When will the next update come out?

Updates are released whenever the team feels that there is enough new content to justify them. This means that there is no structured release schedule for Pixelmon versions.

Versions for Minecraft 1.10.2 and earlier are considered legacy versions. Legacy versions will no longer receive updates, meaning no new features, bug fixes, or official sidemods. The community may still be able to provide support, but will be more familiar with more recent versions.

The Pixelmon developers do not wish to remain on outdated Minecraft versions, as doing so is unhelpful to the Minecraft community. Pixelmon will be updated to newer versions of Minecraft whenever Forge and Sponge are deemed stable.

Gameplay

These questions are related to playing the Pixelmon mod itself.

What are the boxes in the upper-right corner of the screen?

The box on the left is a targeting system. If you have one of your Pokémon sent out and you are looking at a wild Pokémon, you can press the hotkey indicated in the box to have your Pokémon chase the wild Pokémon and initiate a battle against it.

If you are looking at a Pokémon, the Pokédex will be opened at that Pokémon's Pokédex entry. The Pokémon will also be registered as "seen" if it hasn't been seen or caught before.

Otherwise, the Pokédex will be opened at the top of the list.

What generation are battle mechanics based on?

Battle mechanics derive from generation 6. This means that certain generation 7 mechanics, such as Z-Moves, are not yet present in Pixelmon. They will be added along with the gen 7 Pokémon, when they are ready.

Can I change the locations where Pokémon spawn?

As of 6.0.0, Pixelmon has a new spawning system which allows you to fully customize spawns, including weather, time, minimum/maximum Y (height) and required biomes. You can learn more about its options here.

Can I disable certain generations of Pokémon?

The "Spawning" section of Pixelmon's config file contains settings for disabling the natural spawning of individual Generations of Pokémon.

Is it possible to disable natural spawning of Pokémon?

This is possible by editing the Pixelmon config file. Find the spawnDimensions setting, and remove the 0 (Overworld dimension) from the list. This setting does not affect Pixelmon spawners, making it possible to set up a world so that Pokémon only spawn from Pixelmon spawners.

NPC spawning can be disabled in the NPC external JSON files by enabling the files in the config and then changing each NPC type's rarity to 0.

Previous versions of Pixelmon included a config setting to disable NPC spawning, but this setting is now obsolete. If your config file was generated while this setting still existed, you may see this setting in the file, but changing it will no longer disable NPCs.

Why can't I see names above wild Pokémon?

Starting with the 4.3.0 and 5.0.0 beta versions, the ability to see Pokémon species names above wild Pokémon was removed. This was done in order to better integrate the Pokédex into Pixelmon; if a player cannot identify a certain Pokémon, the Pokédex can be used to scan and identify the Pokémon. Alternatively, the showWildNamesconfig option can be enabled to restore the functionality of seeing names above wild Pokémon.

How do I link my Minecraft account with my Pixelmon forum account?

To gain access to a Trainer hat, you first need to link your Minecraft account to your Pixelmon forum account; instructions on doing this can be found here. Once you have done this, use the /redeem command in-game to refresh your account status.

After completing the steps above, you can wear your Trainer hat with the command, /redeem trainerhat. To take off the hat, use the command, /redeem remove hat. The hat's color can also be customized with the command, /redeem trainerhat <red> <green> <blue>, where the color arguments are RGB values from 0-255.

I've donated to the mod. Why don't I have access to a Pixelmon sash yet?

If you've just donated, wait for a few minutes so that the system is able to process your donation and give you access to the Pixelmon sash.

Once this is done, your account will gain a "donator" status; your Pixelmon forum username will be colored purple when you post on the forum and you will gain a "Donator" title. If you have no forum posts to verify this, you can also check your status by navigating to the "Statistics" section on the main forum page (near the bottom) and toggling the arrow next to the number of users online. A list will be displayed that will allow you to find your username and check its status.

If you have verified that you have donator status and still don't have access to the Pixelmon sash, there are a couple of reasons this may be the case:

Make sure your Minecraft and Pixelmon forum accounts are linked. If you are unsure of how to do this, follow these instructions.

Use the /redeem command to attempt to refresh your account status. If you are on a server that prevents the command from being used, go onto a singleplayer world to use the command.

Servers may take some time to refresh the player statuses. If you can see your sash on a singleplayer world but not on a server, you will have to wait until the server refreshes player statuses to see your sash on that server.

If you don't have donator status after waiting for more than a few minutes, or if you have donator status and the above instructions did not resolve the issue, post a support ticket here.

How do I attach log files or text files to a bug or support ticket?

Currently, you are not able to attach these files to tickets on the Pixelmon forums. As an alternative, you can post the contents of the files on Pastebin and link the resulting paste in your ticket.

There is another Pixelmon wiki on Wikia. What is this?

Wikia was the former location of the Pixelmon wiki; the wiki has since moved into Pixelmon's own domain. However, the Wikia staff refused to close the old version of the wiki. As a result, an old Pixelmon wiki remains on Wikia, but it is out-of-date and no longer supported by the Pixelmon team. The Wikia wiki should not be used as a reference for Pixelmon

Development

These questions relate to developing for Pixelmon.

Can I join the Pixelmon team?

The Pixelmon team is currently not accepting applications for new members to the team.

How do I access the Pixelmon source files?

Pixelmon is closed-source, so source files are not available to the public.

It is possible to reference the Pixelmon JAR to develop a Pixelmon sidemod, but the Pixelmon API is not currently documented because Pixelmon is closed-source. If you wish to ask questions about the Pixelmon API, visit the Pixelmon Discord and post in #coding-support.

Can I beta test for Pixelmon?

No. Closed beta testing for Pixelmon with selected members of the general player base was attempted in the past, but it did not prove to be useful. However, it is still possible to test Pixelmon by using public release versions and reporting bugs that are encountered.